[stevebrot]

It's an SMC Pentax-F 17-28 f/3.5-4.5 fisheye. Full-frame fisheye zoom with full aperture control and autofocus. $100 was win-win pricing since he paid $40 for the camera and lens bundle. Whoever worked in that pawn shop was a moron.

Ha! Ha!

That is a very interesting lens indeed and a quite decent price too


Steve

[unixrevolution]

Above I said the folding Retinas were about the best fixed-lens 35mm cameras made. I will add that I think the IIa is the best of the Retinas. The later IIIc and IIIC command much higher prices, but I doubt their selenium light meters are still reliable, and that extra feature moved the wind lever to the base plate - clumsy - almost as bad as the base-plate mounted hot shoe on my Rollei 35.

I quite agree with everything you said. The IIa is pretty much perfect. I had a IIIc, and though I liked it, you'll note I said *had*. The bottom wind was pretty clunky, though you could get used to it, and the whole package was a LOT bigger. Leica M-big.

Ha! Ha!

That is a very interesting lens indeed and a quite decent price too

Steve

It is, and it was a "jump or it gets away" moment, but I convinced him of my veracity in purchasing the lens by whipping out the money. I will enjoy playing with it. Unfortunately, it's a rare day for me; I didn't bring any Pentax bodies to work, so all I can do is stare.

I also need to figure out a front cap.

[Archimedes the Dog]

A friend's father in law passed away recently at a rather advanced age. My friend was cleaning out his house when he found this 1948 (by the serial number) Argus C3 with an original case. Since it wasn't worth much, monetarily, he sent it on to me. Shutter speeds look good, focusing is stiff though. I might make this a project camera and do a rebuild on it. I love the swirly bokeh on these, the ergonomics suck though. Still want an Argus AF, someday, as well.

[WPRESTO]

A friend's father in law passed away recently at a rather advanced age. My friend was cleaning out his house when he found this 1948 (by the serial number) Argus C3 with an original case. Since it wasn't worth much, monetarily, he sent it on to me. Shutter speeds look good, focusing is stiff though. I might make this a project camera and do a rebuild on it. I love the swirly bokeh on these, the ergonomics suck though. Still want an Argus AF, someday, as well.

The camera we called "the brick." Enormously popular. It wouldn't surprise me if sales approached a million. Me and my photobudies from the 50's and 60's thought it was the ultimate "clunker." I think the lens was a triplet rather than a Tessar.

Just checked some of the history and I was right on one point, the lens is a triplet, but wrong on another, the sales approached two million units.

[g026r]

Shutter speeds look good, focusing is stiff though.

From my experience visiting flea markets/yard sales/camera shows, I'm pretty certain that a brick that doesn't have stiff focusing is a rarity these days.

[Archimedes the Dog]

From my experience visiting flea markets/yard sales/camera shows, I'm pretty certain that a brick that doesn't have stiff focusing is a rarity these days.

Yeah, I'm going to CLA it myself at some point, I've decided.

My former mother in law just told me she has a Kodak Brownie Starflash for me in the original box, she found it in a trunk of her parents' things. I need to go grab that from her.

[unixrevolution]

The camera we called "the brick." Enormously popular. It wouldn't surprise me if sales approached a million. Me and my photobudies from the 50's and 60's thought it was the ultimate "clunker." I think the lens was a triplet rather than a Tessar.

Just checked some of the history and I was right on one point, the lens is a triplet, but wrong on another, the sales approached two million units.

They were hugely popular, and despite their clunky ergonomics they do the work. Tony Vaccaro carried one in Europe for years, developing the films in his helmet, documenting immediate-post-WWII Europe.

From my experience visiting flea markets/yard sales/camera shows, I'm pretty certain that a brick that doesn't have stiff focusing is a rarity these days.

Truth.

Yeah, I'm going to CLA it myself at some point, I've decided.

My former mother in law just told me she has a Kodak Brownie Starflash for me in the original box, she found it in a trunk of her parents' things. I need to go grab that from her.

They are relatively simple and the gear arrangement is just too cool. Enjoy the CLA and using the camera.

[Direbear]

That looks like the Retinette 1B. Have you tried it out yet? Some of my best pictures were with the Retinette 1A. (no rangefinder or light meter on it) Here is an example taken in 1961, you can see the date on the registration in the window.The Retinettes and Retinas until the early sixties were works of art. They went cheap and nasty after that.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/cKaAPb]1953 Ford Consul, Taken in 1961 Kodak Retinette 1A and Kodachrome 10 ASA

I totally agree with you. Here are some shots i took of both a Retina 1a and Retinette 1A that are surplus to me and im going to be selling soon. No idea what to ask for each of them yet...i LOVE the embosting in the leather on the back of the Retina 1a, and its just SO COMPACT when closed up.

[arnold]

No idea what to ask for each of them yet...i LOVE the embosting in the leather on the back of the Retina 1a, and its just SO COMPACT when closed up.

Condition is important if one is to avoid a service, which with postage can approach $200. The Vero shutter is the simplest, and unlike the Pronto, has no timer to get jammed. Neither does it have speeds slower than 1/30, so that slow speed mechanism can't seize. Are the lenses clear?
The Retina can suffer a stripped cocking lever if people have been rough with it, and the counter spring is a weak-spot on these. Also no timer, but it does have the slow speed mechanism, which if left too long, gets too sticky to run.
A good Retinette sells $25-$60, and the Retina 1a between $60 and $120 in my experience. If yours are as good as they look, they should be toward the higher end, especially the Retina - which has to be the smallest full function 35mm to carry.

[Direbear]

Condition is important if one is to avoid a service, which with postage can approach $200. The Vero shutter is the simplest, and unlike the Pronto, has no timer to get jammed. Neither does it have speeds slower than 1/30, so that slow speed mechanism can't seize. Are the lenses clear?
The Retina can suffer a stripped cocking lever if people have been rough with it, and the counter spring is a weak-spot on these. Also no timer, but it does have the slow speed mechanism, which if left too long, gets too sticky to run.
A good Retinette sells $25-$60, and the Retina 1a between $60 and $120 in my experience. If yours are as good as they look, they should be toward the higher end, especially the Retina - which has to be the smallest full function 35mm to carry.

Both lenses are clear and shoot very well. I actually have 3 of the Retina 1a, Two of which are in imperial measurements and one in metric. So i am going to sell one of the spare ones in imperial measurements.

DSC06818xx

BUT... but now that you mentioned the Vero and Pronto lenses on the Retinette... I went back and had a look. I think now ill keep both as one i was keeping is the Pronto. So i actually have 1 of each, both very nice examples.
IS that greedy of me now to want to keep both?

DSC06905x

DSC06884x

[unixrevolution]

Both lenses are clear and shoot very well. I actually have 3 of the Retina 1a, Two of which are in imperial measurements and one in metric. So i am going to sell one of the spare ones in imperial measurements.

DSC06818xx

BUT... but now that you mentioned the Vero and Pronto lenses on the Retinette... I went back and had a look. I think now ill keep both as one i was keeping is the Pronto. So i actually have 1 of each, both very nice examples.
IS that greedy of me now to want to keep both?

DSC06905x

DSC06884x

I don't think it's unreasonable to want to keep them both, as long as you shoot them all. The truly greedy people are those who want a camera just to have it. To keep it in a case and let it deteriorate from non-use just so they can say, "I've got one."

---------- Post added 09-18-16 at 02:29 PM ----------

I totally agree with you. Here are some shots i took of both a Retina 1a and Retinette 1A that are surplus to me and im going to be selling soon. No idea what to ask for each of them yet...i LOVE the embosting in the leather on the back of the Retina 1a, and its just SO COMPACT when closed up.

Apart from the top plate and lens assembly, it looks just like my IIa, including that lovely back embossing

My Retina I is knob advance and rewind, and the shutter has to be cocked separately. I'm lucky the shutter release is on the body, not the lens as it is on older folding cameras.

[arnold]

BUT... but now that you mentioned the Vero and Pronto lenses on the Retinette... I went back and had a look. I think now ill keep both as one i was keeping is the Pronto. So i actually have 1 of each, both very nice examples.
IS that greedy of me now to want to keep both?

Who would appreciate them more? As long as they are looked after, they are being saved for posterity. I only just added a RETINETTE 1A (note capital letters) which has added a hot shoe, and Prontor 250 S shutter. My collection of Retinettes includes the two early #12, %17 folders and models 22, 30 as well as 1B and 11B. The earlier models had Compur shutters and better made.

[butangmucat]

Sears KSX-P, Pentacon 30/3.5

[unixrevolution]

Who would appreciate them more? As long as they are looked after, they are being saved for posterity. I only just added a RETINETTE 1A (note capital letters) which has added a hot shoe, and Prontor 250 S shutter. My collection of Retinettes includes the two early #12, %17 folders and models 22, 30 as well as 1B and 11B. The earlier models had Compur shutters and better made.

Lovely Retinette, and you are correct in your statement. Coming from a classic car background into photography, I believe that we as classic camera owners aren't as much owners as curators. The cameras belong to us, technically, but we are caring for them for the next owner.

Sears KSX-P, Pentacon 30/3.5

Very nice. Based on a Ricoh? 30 is an unusual focal length.

[butangmucat]

Very nice. Based on a Ricoh? 30 is an unusual focal length.

Actually it is a Chinon CP-5 (K-mount), with 1/1000s max shutter speed and what seems to be metal shutter curtains. The prism viewfinder is pretty nice.

Pentacon / Meyer Optik Lydith 30mm f/3.5 Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database originally bought as a slow-ish normal for my K-S2. Didin't opt for the faster 29/2.8 because I failed to find one in good condition.